CHRIS FOY: England are in a world of pain as justice catches up with Owen Farrell… while rugby’s ability to turn a potentially straight-forward matter into an over-blown circus is illustrated once again

At the end of a farcical, protracted saga, Owen Farrell faced a shortened, delayed and disrupted World Cup campaign on Tuesday night.

The England captain had managed to avoid suspension last week when he was charged with a high tackle on Taine Basham, but now justice has caught up with him for a shoulder to the head of the Welsh back rower. World Rugby had appealed the initial postponement and this time there was a very different and important outcome.

Farrell, 31, was shown a yellow card at Twickenham on August 12 and had it upgraded to red, as part of the new ‘bunker’ rating system during the match. Days later, the decision by an all-Australian court panel to withdraw that ruling threatened to undermine the new governance tool designed to prevent miscarriages of justice. Now his authority has been strengthened, at the expense of England and their skipper.

The appeals committee ruled that the original panelists should have considered ‘the player’s attempt to wrap his opponent in the tackle’ – something they failed to do. This factor was considered crucial in explaining the upgrade from yellow to red upon immediate assessment. After considering this aspect of the incident in detail, the appeals panel sided with the Foul Play Review Officer and concluded that Farrell’s tackle was “always illegal.”

That meant no mitigation could be applied, so the original panel’s verdict – that minor contact with Jamie George had changed Basham’s running angle a fraction of a second before colliding with Farrell – was overturned. As such, the red card upgrade was deemed appropriate.

This was not a first offense, far from it, so once guilt was established it was unlikely that the recommended sentence would be substantially reduced. Still, Farrell was given the benefit of the doubt. The average ‘entry point’ of a six match suspension was reduced to four, due to his ‘acceptance of foul play, clear display of remorse and his good character’. It had taken all day and all evening to arrive at this statement.

Farrell’s final hearing began at 7.30am on Tuesday and the skipper appeared via video link from the England team’s base in Surrey. He again received legal advice from Richard Smith KC, who had helped him convince the original disciplinary panel that his offense against Basham was not worthy of a red card after all.

It is understood that the appeals process was completed late in the afternoon, but after that there was a lengthy process of summarizing and ratifying the findings, apparently requiring all parties to sign before the official verdict could be made public.

As the hours passed and the wait went on and on, complaints poured in over what was widely regarded as a shambles.

There was a public commentary in full swing, complete with all sorts of conspiracy theories about what caused the robbery; some achievable and others utterly far-fetched. Rugby’s ability to turn a potentially simple matter into an over the top circus was exemplified under the fierce gaze of global scrutiny.

Finally, at 8:30 p.m., confirmation came – finally – that Farrell had been banned. There had been tremendous interest in the outcome, with widespread tension and anticipation on these shores and far beyond, reflecting how the messy episode had sparked so many sharp opinions.

There had been a strong reaction to Farrell’s initial postponement, with foreign and numerous English critics condemning a disciplinary system that was seen as inconsistent and unfair. But then the reaction provoked another reaction.

Tempers flared on all sides. On Thursday, England head coach Steve Borthwick angrily railed against what he said were ‘personal attacks’ on his captain, hours after his Irish counterpart and Owen’s father, Andy Farrell, labeled the ‘circus’ as ‘absolutely disgusting’. For Borthwick, the saga, along with the personal dimension he perceived, was an unwanted distraction.

As someone who often speaks of a desire for clarity, he now has it. Farrell is unavailable until the second half of the World Cup group stage. For England, this means going into the tournament with George Ford at the age of ten and Courtney Lawes as captain. These are far from disastrous developments, if the coaches can allow more freedom and cohesion.

For the sport as a whole, this is an essential message about the importance of protecting players’ heads. The original disciplinary verdict ran counter to that fundamental drive for greater security, so authorities will be relieved that this amended outcome sends a better signal about the need to stamp out a culture of tough-talking, which is proving stubbornly persistent .

Rugby’s flagship game now continues with a soundtrack of pennies dropping about the need to hit lower or face significant consequences. It will also continue with a diminished sense of outrage among players from certain countries that others with money are given preferential treatment.

Still, the process has been terrible. It has taken so long and tarnished the reputation of the game. Vital credibility has once again been lost, and it will be difficult to regain it as soon as possible.